„Performance is ritualised behaviour conditioned and /or permeated by play.“ (Schechner, 2013, pg. 89)
This essay will be demonstrating the key concepts of Schechner´s Performance Theory and after that there will be a performance discussed based on these concepts. Richard Schechner dedicates his studies to performing arts and performance. He sees that performance is not only theatre and actual plays, but everything in life, ranging from everyday life to rituals and art.
(Icosilune, 2009) Back in years, Western thinkers believed that they knew excatly what was and what was not a performance. ‘But in fact, there is no historically or culturally fixable limit to what is or is not “performance”. (Schechner, 2006, pg. 2) Schechner explains the difference between four performance categories, which are being, doing, showing doing and explaining showing doing. Being is an existance, just being who we are without any effort to do or pretend something. Doing is any act done in daily lives. Showing doing is an actual performance, when the actors act and represent the reality. And explaining showing doing is the theory, talking about the performances and commenting the art. He brings out the issue of the theory ´is´ or ´as´ performance, and describes how do they distinguish. There are some limits to what ´is´ performance. To qualify a performance as ´is´ performance, it must be said so in historical and social context. Any performance cannot be determined that it ´is´ a performance if it does not refer to specific cultural circumstances. On the other hand, ´as´ performance can be studied round about everything. But ultimately, it can be decided independently, if one considers it ´as´ or ´is´a performance. This leads to another topic, which is...
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...mage ’masks and perverts a basic reality’;
3) The image ‘masks the absence of a basic reality’;
4) No relation to reality: Its ‘own pure simulacrumn
In the first case, the image is a good appearance – the representation is of the order of sacrament. In the second, it is an evil appearance – of the order of aspell. In the third, it plays at being an appearance – it is of the order of sorcery. In the fourth, it is no longer in the order of appearance at all, but of simulation. (Schechner, 2013, pg.134)
The point of this essay was to illustrate the key concepts of the Performance Theory, to show how to understand them and apply them on the actual performances and actions. I think that the most important thing to elucidate is that „everything around us is a performance.“ So after all, everybody is a performer and an actor in their own way. And life is a performance.
In the introduction, the audience’s position in society is established: “people who make it their life’s work to make other people’s lives better” while the speaker portrays being “an actress” lower, less important and less respectful, distancing the speaker from the audience even more. Before being relatable, the speaker concentrates on gaining the audience’s trust by demonstrating knowledge and respect for what they do to make anyone’s life better. Since the audience is not used to the speaker, it is difficult to give them something to relate to directly in the beginning because it would feel forced and not genuine. Therefore, the speaker had to use the knowledge about the subject and about the audience’s work. In the introduction, the speaker offers nothing, but mere respect to the audience, which any hard worker will appreciate.
Butler, Judith. "Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in Phenomenology and Feminist Theory." Theatre Journal 40.4 (1988): 519-31. The Johns Hopkins University Press. Web. 11 May 2011.
Redeye’s 24 Hour production of Shrek: The Musical can be defined as a performance. Although normally deemed as a musical event or sports game, essentially, a performance is an event that can captivate an audience which consists of an action, interaction or relationship. The performances can be planned and practiced or be spontaneously done at one’s aggression. Performances normally involve multiple participants as well as spectators and change the identity of the performer. Redeye’s 24 Hour production of Shrek: The Musical can be properly called a performance because the ensemble, both actors, directors, managers, and stage crew, diligently worked for twenty-four hours timelessly rehearing, building sets, dancing, and collaborated to produce a finished product that would tell a story to the audience and virtually transports them into the world of Duloc and into the swamps where Shrek resides.
...re as same as the audience use in their everyday life. Easily connecting to the audience, with visual, audio and performer’s performance” one can imagine himself/herself in performer’s shoes.
The first main area of art and reality colliding in the play is the existence of characters who are referred to as Characters. Pirandello stretches the bounds of meta-theater by having actors portray Characters who swear they are not actors, when faced with other actors playing actual actors and a Director. The layers of unraveling of reality are astounding. The Characters must try and convince not only the Actors and the Producer of their true nature, but also the audience. Pirandello must convey his beliefs about the essence of art through the mouths of Characters seemingly unattached to the actuality of the theater around them. In the play, the Producer acts on stage in place of the author, questioning the sincerity and the true nature of the Characters, who become his r...
The criticism relies on two assumptions. One, that rhetoric creates reality, and two, that convergence occurs. With regards to rhetoric creating reality we are to assume that the symbolic forms that are created from the rhetoric are not imitations but organs of reality. This is because it is through their agency that anything becomes real. We assume to that convergence occurs because symbols not only create reality for individuals but that individual’s meanings can combine to create a shared reality for participants. The shared reality then provides a basis for the community of participants to discuss their common experiences and to achieve a mutual understanding. The consequence of this is that the individuals develop the same attitudes and emotions to the personae of the drama. Within this criticism the audience is seen as the most critical part because the sharing of the message is seen as being so significant.
Brecht argues that the ultimate purpose of play is to induce pleasure and to entertain, and that--because of this purpose--play needs no justification. Plays should not be simply copied from or seen through older performances, but need to develop on their own to better relate to a new audience. Through the use of alienation which aims to make the familiar unfamiliar, play and theatre can be seen under a new perspective, and the actor can feel more free to perform under a new guise.
Thom, P (1992), For an Audience: A Philosophy of the Performing Arts (Arts and Their Philosophies), Temple University Press
For this paper, I will be focusing on Erving Goffman’s concept of dramaturgy. Erving Goffman was a sociologist who studied social interaction, and is well known for his work on ‘the self.’ His book, Presentation of Self, continues to be an important and relevant book in sociology since it explains by social interaction within humans is important. In his theory, Goffman explains that people are like actors performing on a stage because of how they live their lives. Drama is used as a metaphor for how an individual presents their self to society. In his work, Goffman explains that ‘the self’ is the result of the dramatic interaction between the actor and the audience he or she performs to. There are many aspects of how an individual performs his or her ‘self’.
Performing- The performing stage is where everyone is clearly aware on what they’re doing and the purpose of what they’re doing. Everyone is able to share their ideas with others. Confidence is showed among the team members as their able to communicate to other team members without help or assistance from the leader. They can take charge of their own ideas. The team focus on achieving their goals .Although the team can disagreement with...
The spectacle of this play is limited which is why there is such weight put on the actors themselves. Their scene and ensembles never show signs of change yet they develop and grow. There is a huge stress on the statue, which whom the Learned Ladies bow
In conclusion to this essay we can say that Stanislavski’s system in the training of the actor and the rehearsal process is effective. The system helps actors to break down their characters gradually and really know the role. Some may even the say that the system helps them to almost become the character. The system has played a significant part in theatre training for many years. It has been used, adapted and interpreted by several practitioners, actors and tutors. For many years to come Stanislavski’s system will still be used in theatre training. Not only is it an effective system it is the past, present and future of theatre training and the rehearsal process.
... a way for audiences and performers to connect on a closer level. They are both experiencing the surreal, disassociating themselves from the performance taking place. They both become more introspective. The performance becomes a vehicle for self-understanding, metacognition.
The performances included opera-styled singing with intricate hand gestures. I used to think that the Chinese theater performances my grandparents watched on TV were too over-the-top and unnatural, but after reading about the history and meanings behind Chinese theater, I’ve developed a new perspective on the style and have come to admire the beauty of cultural differences in theatrical arts. Chinese theater’s “traditional performance” features a synthesis of poetry, singing, and dancing. In present day, “traditional performance” has undergone an improvement toward what can be termed “characterization performance,” which emphasizes the performer’s internal experience of the character played and the artistically truthful portrayal of feelings and thoughts (cite). Different cultures contribute to the varying theater styles. For example, “chinese playgoers are familiar with the stories, characters, and conventions...the objective of the Chinese performer is to meet the high expectations of the playgoers” (cite). Thus, Chinese performers are more conscious of ensuring that their gestures and body movements appear aesthetically beautiful to satisfy their audiences’ expectations. The knowledge of the diverse approaches of theater in different regions is significant for respecting a theater piece, because theater from different cultures than one’s own should be evaluated and appreciated with the viewpoint of that
In this paper, I will be focusing briefly on my knowledge and understanding of the concept of Applied theatre and one of its theatre form, which is Theatre in Education. The term Applied Theatre is a broad range of dramatic activity carried out by a crowd of diverse bodies and groups.